The present invention relates to methods for playing a casino game in the nature of poker using one or more decks of conventional playing cards. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for playing a casino wagering game, which is a variation of Seven Card Stud Poker or Down the River.
Poker is a popular game throughout the world. It combines principles of card games known for centuries in Europe but in its present form it is distinctly of American origin. There are numerous forms of poker and the main divisions are: Draw Poker, in which all of a player's cards are unknown to his opponents and Stud Poker, in which some of the player's cards are face up and others are face down.
Within the above two broad categories numerous variations exist with “Seven Card Stud” being a popular example. In “Seven Card Stud” a predetermined player makes an Ante wager and each player is dealt two cards face down and one card face up.
Each player must decide to either call the initial ante wager or fold the cards they were dealt and sit out for that hand of play. A second card face up is dealt to each player and another betting round will start with a predetermined player. All players must call the best or fold the cards they were dealt. A third card face up is dealt to each player and another betting round start. Each player must either fold or call the betting wager. A fourth card is dealt face up to each player and another betting round starts with each player either placing the bet or folding the cards. A fifth card is dealt to each player this time being dealt face down bringing the total number of player cards to seven and another betting round starts. Each player must fold or call the betting wager. At this point each player in the game will reveal all seven cards and the dealer determines the highest five-card hand on the table among the players and award that player the money from the player's pot.
In modern casinos Poker takes on one of three forms: Live or card room Poker where players compete against one another but the games are controlled and supervised by a house dealer who removes a house levy either in the form of a participation fee or as a percentage of winning hands; electronic video machines offering various forms of Poker; and Poker played as “bankers game” either where the game involves players in contest with the dealer's cards or where the object is for the players to obtain a hand based on hierarchical poker ranking. In both versions of Banker games the house enjoys a favorable advantage based on a pay table that is structured in such a way the pay-offs are not based on the true mathematical odds, to rules of pay so structured that the house has a favorable edge.
The growth in casinos has prompted the introduction of new games and variations to established games and numerous patents have been granted in this field. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,873 (Perkins) a casino type poker game is disclosed in which the players are playing against a predetermined rank of winning hands (a banked game). Players are dealt two cards face down and a common card is placed in a designated area for all players to use if needed. The player then makes a one unit bet and is afforded an additional card face down. The player now has a five-card poker hand. In order for the player to receive a sixth card from the dealer (face down) the player would have made an insurance bet at the onset of the game before and cards were dealt out to any player. At this point if the player did not make the insurance bet and the player does not have a hand of predetermined qualifying rank the game is over and the player loses. If the player and only if the player makes the insurance bet on the onset of the game, then the player is afforded a sixth card to use to further build the chances of making a five-card winning hand. The player must make an additional bet aside from the normal betting structure to use the sixth bonus card. If the player wins, he receives a bonus payment depending on the Poker rank of his hand. Player starts with a three-card hand, two cards dealt to the specific player and one communal card for all players. The player must then pay for two additional cards at different stages in the game for a total of a five-card hand. The player can receive a sixth card only if they have played the insurance bet at the onset of the game for an additional wager. If the player did not play the insurance bet the game is over and the player does not receive a sixth card.
Various other patents disclose further variations to traditional forms of Poker (Neal) U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,005 discloses a modification of seven-card stud Poker where players do not compete against one another in the traditional sense of Poker. Each player places an initial wager. The dealer then deals a plurality of cards all cards face up to a selected area in the center of the table. Each player has the option of which one of the hands the dealer has dealt to place a wager on. The dealer then completes the deal by dealing a total number of cards amounting to at least a total of a five-card hand in which a winning hand can be found. Payers are not dealt a specific hand for the individual players, in fact all players can bet on the same poker hand if desired. All cards dealt for the players are communal cards and the players view a partial hand before making their wagers on which hand they feel has the best odds to win. The player may also place a bet if they think no hand will qualify for a pre-determined rank of winning hand.
(Rozzi et al.) U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,489 discloses a seven and a half poker game where the players compete against the dealer. Play starts by a dealer being chosen among the players by a draw of a playing card. Each player places an ante wager. Each player receives one card face down and the dealer receives one card face up. If anyone has a king of diamonds they must reveal this card to state a winning hand. If no one has the king of diamonds then play continues by each player examining the card they were dealt and seeing the dealer's card face up. They must now decide to stand or take another card. The player can win by having a face card value greater than the dealer's hand or by the dealer drawing over the seven and a half total. This game is very similar to the game “black jack” with a modified deck of playing cards.
U.S. publication No. 2003/0050106A1 (Lyfoung) demonstrates a method of playing a three-card poker style game coupled with the game baccarat where each player is dealt two cards face down. The player can choose to make a side wager before said communal card is dealt. The dealer then deals a communal card face up to complete the three-card hand. An additional wager can be made of different value but not to exceed said first wager. Both wages have different payment odds.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,553 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,041 (both Jones et al) discloses variations in which all are collectively referred to as Caribbean Stud® Poker. In the preferred method of play described in the '553 patent the game commences with each player placing a preliminary bet (“ante”) at a designated location on a table layout. The house dealer deals five cards to each player and to himself; all face down except for one card in the hand of the dealer. Having viewed his hand and assessing his chances, each player can elect to retire from the round at that point (to “fold”) in which event the player forfeits his amount of the ante to the house. The alternative is for the player to make an additional bet—typically prescribed by house rules to be the amount originally anted—whereupon the dealer reveals his entire hand. Provided that the dealer's hand has a poker value of at least Ace-King, the game progresses with the dealer comparing his hand to that of each pair and paying or collecting bets as appropriate. Poker hands of two pair or better are rewarded by payment of better than even odds on such hand of a winning player.
In another variation of five-card stud Poker for casino play commonly referred to as “let it ride” is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,081 (breeding). Each player must place down three qual bets, whereupon the dealer deals three cards to each player and to the dealer, but this discards out of play (burns) one of the dealer's three cards, sight unseen, leaving the dealer with only two cars. Alternatively, the dealer may simply deal three cards down to each player and refrain from dealing himself a third card. At that point, each player must then decide whether to take back the first of the three wages or else to “let it ride.” The dealer then turns up one of the two communal cards so that each player, now in effect in possession of four cards of the ultimate five-card hand, is put to a decision whether to withdraw the second bet from the table or to “let it ride”. The third best is not retrievable when the dealer turns the second of the communal cards, play comes to an end, the players show their cards, and all bests still on the table are resolved and distributed according to the poker ranking of each bettor's hand.
In various of these games the participants are provided the option of discarding some or all of the cards which they were originally dealt. Such option can slow down a game costing it to lose momentum.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a casino variation of seven-card stud poker, which allows a player to bet against the house for a predetermined jackpot pay table.
While certain novel features of this invention shown and described below are pointed out in the annexed claims, the invention is not intended to be limited to the details specified, since a person of ordinary skill in the relevant are will understand that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated an in its operation may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. No feature of the invention is critical or essential unless it is expressly stated as being “critical” or “essential.”